The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gas turbines and, in particular, to improving the efficiency thereof.
Gas turbines are well known as prime movers in the power generation industry. As fuel prices continue to spiral upwards, new designs of gas turbines are sought after to improve their efficiency.
In gas turbine engines, rotating turbine blades in the hot turbine section seal radially towards a set of high temperature parts called shrouds. These shrouds form an annulus cavity in which the rotating turbine blades function. The annulus cavity forms a seal close to but not in contact to the turbine blades in order to prevent hot gases from the combustion section of the gas turbine from escaping around the turbine blades. In prior art gas turbines, these shrouds and/or their supporting attachments have to be force cooled usually by forced air cooling. Cooling the prior art shroud adds to the parasitic losses of the gas turbine system, thus, lowering the overall efficiency of the prior art gas turbine system. Hence, it would be well received in the power industry if the parasitic losses could be reduced in gas turbine systems in order to increase their efficiency.